The present invention relates to a linking assembly between a mechanical system, such as an aircraft seat, and an adjustment actuator, as well as an aircraft comprising such a linking assembly.
The adjustment actuators are provided to adjust the position of the seat. The linking assembly between the seat and the actuator generally comprises an input shaft connected to an output of said actuator and an output shaft connected to an input of said mechanical system, the shafts cooperating with each other to transmit the movement from the actuator to the seat. Disengagement means are generally associated with the adjustment actuator in order to suppress the cooperation between the input shaft and the output shaft, in particular with a view to performing maintenance operations on the seat.
It is also known to have means for copying the position of the seat when this position is changed and it is desirable to return this seat to a pre-adjusted position. However, when the seat is separated from the actuator by the disengagement means, the function to copy the position of the seat is lost and new adjustments are required. The invention aims to solve this disadvantage by providing a linking assembly between a mechanical system, such as an aircraft seat, and an adjustment actuator comprising engagement/disengagement means and position-copying means in which the copying function is not lost when the linking assembly is disengaged.
For this purpose and according to a first aspect, the invention relates to a linking assembly between a mechanical system, such as an aircraft seat, and an adjustment actuator, comprising an input shaft connected to an output of said actuator and an output shaft connected to an input of said mechanical system, and engagement/disengagement members placed between the input shaft and the output shaft, said members being mobile between a locked position, wherein the input shaft and the output shaft cooperate in rotation, and an unlocked position, wherein the input shaft does not cooperate with the output shaft, position-copying means being solidly attached to said actuator, said copying means having an input shaft, a position-copying rod being fixed between said output shaft and the input shaft of said copying means. Since the engagement/disengagement members are not integrated in the actuator, it is possible to provide a direct link between the position-copying means and the output shaft of the mechanical system, which makes it possible to conserve the function that copies the position of the mechanical system after disengaging the linking assembly.
According to one embodiment of the invention, said input and output shafts of said assembly are substantially coaxial, the input shaft being inserted in a first axial bore of the output shaft, said input shaft of the assembly comprising a second axial bore, and said position-copying rod passing through said second axial bore. According to one embodiment of the invention, said engagement/disengagement members comprise at least one housing made in the input shaft of the assembly and at least one orifice passing through the output shaft, the orifice being placed opposite the housing, at least one locking member being mobile in radial translation between a locking position, wherein said member is placed in the housing and the orifice in order solidly to attach the input shaft and the output shaft, and an unlocking position, wherein said member is removed from the housing in order to separate the input shaft from the output shaft. According to a second aspect, the invention relates to an aircraft comprising at least one assembly such as described above, associated with at least one seat of said aircraft. Other aspects and advantages of the invention will appear throughout the following detailed description, made in reference to the appended figures.